Power supply system for an electronic flight bag

ABSTRACT

A control system for providing electrical power to an electronic flight bag device on an aircraft. The control system including a power switching component coupled to a plurality of power sources and at least one electronic flight bag device. The power switching component is operative and configured to selectively apply electrical power from at least one of the plurality of power sources to the at least one electronic flight bag device based upon a condition of the aircraft.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an electronic flight bag for use on board anaircraft, and more specifically, to a power supply system for use withan on board electronic flight bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic flight bags for use aboard an aircraft during flight areknown. The typical electronic flight bag includes an electronic storagedevice which acts as a container for storing various user-configurableflight-related objects, such as flight routes as defined by way-points,airport information that includes approach routes, associated fightcharts or other desired charts, temporary flight restrictions, andweather information as well as any other user-defined data objectsassociated with the flight. For example, the electronic flight bag maybe used in corporate aircraft and may include one or more data objectsthat relate to the corporate policies with respect to flights.

Since the ability for pilots to access navigation related information ismandated by FAA regulation, electronic flight bag systems currently usedto replace paper-based navigation charts must be proven to exhibitequivalent or better reliability levels than corresponding paper-basednavigation charts. For instance, regulatory agencies such as the FAAhave provided guidance materials to airlines regarding suggested riskmitigations when transitioning from paper based to electronic navigationcharts, which material suggests the need for separate backup powersources. The industry has responded to the aforesaid regulatory guidanceby implementing electronic flight bag standby battery sources. However,at least the following disadvantages are associated with such standbybattery sources: repetitive maintenance is needed due to batterymaintenance (which increases life cycle costs) and the delays associatedwith certification challenges related to electronic flight bag safety(e.g., fire hazard, electrolyte leaks).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect an electronic flight bag control system is described inwhich an aspect of the invention includes selectively applyingelectronic power to an electronic flight bag device. In an illustrativeembodiment, the control system includes a power switching componentcoupled to a plurality of power sources. At least one electronic flightbag device is coupled to each of the plurality of power sources via thepower switching component. The power switching component is operativeand configured to selectively apply electrical power from at least oneof the plurality of power sources to the at least one electronic flightbag device based upon a condition of the aircraft to ensure redundantand reliable power delivery to the electronic flight bag.

In a further aspect, the power switching component is further operativeand configured to couple only a single power source from the pluralityof electrical power sources to the electronic flight bag device when apredetermined condition for the aircraft has occurred and is furtheroperative and configured to couple at least first and second powersources from the plurality of electrical power sources to the electronicflight bag device when another predetermined condition for aircraft hasoccurred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the invention can be understood withreference to the following detailed description of an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention taken together in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary life cycle of theelectronic navigational system used in accordance with an illustratedembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary planning phase ofthe electronic flight bag used in accordance with an illustratedembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the power supply system for usewith an electronic flight in accordance with an illustrated embodimentof the invention; and

FIG. 4 is flow chart depicting operation of the power supply systemillustrated in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the power supply system for usewith an electronic flight bag in accordance with another illustrativeembodiment of the invention.

WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is now described more fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which an illustrated embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. The present invention is not limited in any way tothe illustrated embodiment as the illustrated embodiment described belowis merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in variousforms, as appreciated by one skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that any structural and functional details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for theclaims and as a representative for teaching one skilled in the art tovariously employ the present invention. Furthermore, the terms andphrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather toprovide an understandable description of the invention.

It is to be appreciated the embodiments of this invention as discussedbelow are preferably a software algorithm, program or code residing oncomputer useable medium having control logic for enabling execution on amachine having a computer processor. The machine typically includesmemory storage configured to provide output from execution of thecomputer algorithm or program.

The present invention relates to an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) for useon board an aircraft during flight. The electronic flight bag may beconfigured as a device integrated into the flight cockpit or as astandalone portable device which contains all of the informationnormally included in a physical flight bag that may be required anddesired for a particular flight contained in furtherance of a paperlesscockpit environment. In particular, the flight bag includes anelectronic storage device configured as a container for storing varioususer-configurable flight-related objects. Unlike known navigational aidsin which the data objects are fixed, the electronic flight bag inaccordance with the present invention is formed from user-configureddata objects so as to obviate the necessity of a physical flight bag.During a ground phase, the electronic flight bag is typically populatedwith all data required and desired during a particular flight onto astandalone computing platform and carried on board the aircraft for useduring a flight phase and thus avoids the necessity for a physicalflight bag.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1illustrates the life cycle of the electronic flight bag in accordancewith the present invention. Like conventional systems, flightinformation required during a flight is assembled on the ground andcarried aboard the aircraft for use during the flight. The electronicflight bag in accordance with the present invention emulates a physicalflight bag in that contains all of the information required and desiredby a pilot during a particular flight. Moreover, since the data requiredfor a flight normally varies for a particular user (i.e., commercial,private, or military) and for a particular flight, the electronic flightbag can be used in all of such applications. As will be discussed below,the user may select from various data objects and store those objects onan electronic storage medium or electronic container by way of acomputing platform, such as a personal computer. Just as a pilot decideswhat information to include in a physical flight bag, a user of theelectronic flight bag in accordance with the present invention can loadvarious flight-related objects, as discussed below, into the electroniccontainer for use aboard the aircraft 22 during flight. This informationcan be obtained from various sources, including aircraft navigationaldata content providers, aircraft manufacturer content providers, as wellas third-party content providers.

The electronic container may be, for example, a standalone electronicmedium, such as an electronic storage device, such as a diskette, flashcard, flash drive or be hosted by a standalone computing environment,such as a personal computer 20 or a personal digital assistant (PDA),not shown. The electronic container may be portable and thus can becarried aboard an aircraft 22 and accessed during a flight phase andhosted by a computing platform. In order to avoid re-certification ofthe aircraft's existing on-board navigational system, the electroniccontainer is hosted by a computing platform independent from theaircraft's on-board navigational system. The data in the electroniccomputer may be updated during flight and stored for use in futureflights.

Turning to FIG. 2, the electronic flight bag is illustrated graphicallyand identified with the reference numeral 24. The electronic flight bag24 may contain various flight-related objects selectable by the user.Exemplary flight related objects may include flight routes, as definedby way-points, identified as track information 26; flight planning data28; identified as airport information that includes approach routes;navigational charts 30; weather data 32; electronic text data 34;temporary flight-restriction data 36 and notes 28.

Typically, the track 26 relates to route data, for example, data definedby various way-points. Flight planning data 28 may include variousflight planning data, such as airport approaches. Electronic charts 30may include various navigational charts, for example, such as availablefrom www.jeppesen.com. Weather data 32 may consists of forecastedweather information, for example, from the National Weather Service, forthe flight. The electronic text page object 34 may be used for variouspurposes. For example, for corporate users, electronic text pages maycomprise the corporate policy with respect to corporate flights.

The temporary flight-restrictions object 36 may include varioustemporary flight restrictions related to the flight. These temporaryflight restrictions can be used to restrict air travel throughparticular airspace for various purposes and other restrictions asdictated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The notes object 38 canbe used for any supplemental notes by the user or pilot.

All of the above-mentioned data objects may be imported from variousdata sources and incorporated into the electronic flight bag 24 for useaboard the aircraft. Virtually any additional data objects can be addedto the electronic flight bag. These data objects may be obtained fromvirtually any source and electronically stored in the electronic flightbag for later use aboard an aircraft.

With reference now to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, shown is anEFB control system 400 coupled to a primary power source 402 and anauxiliary power source 404. It is to be understood and appreciated theEFB control system 400 consists of any computer logic (e.g., software,source code or the like) driven component (e.g., computer processor)capable of performing actions, such as providing power feeds, based oninstructions/logic. Additionally, EFB control system 400 may consist adiscrete logic controlled relay component or a transistor component. Itis additionally to be understood and appreciated the EFB control system400 may be configured to be positioned external of an EFB device 410 (asillustrated in FIG. 3) or alternatively be integrated with an EFB device410 so as to be located therewithin. As to be described in furtherdetail below, the EFB control system 400 is configured and operative toprovide automatic power switching operations based upon a state of theaircraft.

With regards to the aforesaid primary power source 402 and auxiliarypower source 404, each preferably consists of a device configured toprovide DC electrical power sufficient to power the EFB device 410 (e.g.28V DC, 115 VAC 400 Hz, 28 VDC, etc.). For example, in the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 4, the primary power source 410 may be a electricalgenerator component driven by an aircraft engine and/or an externalpower source coupled to the aircraft when the aircraft is on ground andtypically located at its terminal for providing electrical power theretowhen the aircraft engine(s) is not operating. It is to be furtherappreciated and understood the primary power source 402 may also consistof an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) device, battery component, an energyharvesting like device, or the like. With regards to the auxiliary powersource 404, it may consist of a battery or like device that provides areliable electrical power source. For instance, the auxiliary powersource may consist of a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) or like device.

The EFB control system 400 is coupled or integrated into an EFB device410 preferably via a primary power feed line 412 and a secondary powerfeed line 414. It is to be understood, and as mentioned above, the EFBdevice 410 may configured and operative as a device integrated into theflight cockpit of an aircraft (e.g., a permanently installed device) ormay be configured and operative as standalone portable device (e.g., atablet, laptop or other similar portable computer device) which containsall of the information normally included in a physical flight bag thatmay be required and desired for a particular flight contained infurtherance of a paperless cockpit environment as mentioned above.

Additionally in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the EFB controlsystem 400 is coupled to an EFB interface unit 420. It is to beappreciated and understood, the EFB Interface Unit 420 is preferablyoperative and configured to couple to numerous data generatingsystems/components of the aircraft for acquiring data from thosesystems/components and supplying it to the EFB control system 400preferably in a proper data format.

With the essential elements of the invention in accordance with theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 being shown above, its method ofoperation will be described with reference to the illustrative flowchart depicted in FIG. 4. Starting at step 500, when the aircraft is inuse (e.g., in a powered state whether on the ground or in the air), theEFB control system 400 couples to the primary power source 402 (viaprimary feed line 403) and to the auxiliary power source 404 (viaauxiliary feed line 405). Next, at step 510, the EFB control system 400determines if a predetermined condition for the aircraft has beensatisfied (e.g., is the aircraft on the ground or in the air (which canbe achieved via a number of ways as would be appreciated by one skilledin the art (e.g., an air/ground switch)), or is an L1 door closed, or isany other predetermined condition for the aircraft satisfied which wouldbe determinative of which power supply is to be coupled to the EFBdevice 410). For illustrative purposes of the below description of theinvention, the predetermined condition for the aircraft will be whetherthe aircraft is in flight or on the ground, however, as aforementioned,this flight/ground condition is not to be understood as the onlypredetermined condition for the aircraft (step 510) as it's only anillustrative predetermined condition.

If at step 510 it was determined the aircraft is in the air, then atstep 520 the EFB control system 400 couples the EFB device 410 to onlythe primary power source 402 (via primary feed line 412) since while inflight there should be no interruption of power from the primary powersource 402, which thus significantly preserves the storage powerintegrity of the auxiliary power source 404 since it should not beneeded absent a catastrophic condition. Process then returns to step 510to determine if the state of the aircraft has changed while the primarypower source is solely coupled to the EFB device 410.

If at step 510 it was determined the aircraft is on the ground, then atstep 530 the EFB control system 400 couples the EFB device 410 to boththe primary power source 402 (via primary feed line 412) and theauxiliary power source 404 (via auxiliary feed line 414) to ensure thereis no interruption of power to the EFB device 410 while the aircraft ison the ground. It is to be understood and appreciated, coupling the EFBdevice 410 to both the primary power source 402 and the auxiliary powersource 404 is advantageous while the aircraft is on the ground sincethere is a likely occurrence that the power feed from the primary powersource 402 will be interrupted when operation of the aircraft engine isterminated and the aircraft is switched to a ground power feed, or whenthere is an interruption of power from the ground power feed while it isused for providing electrical power to the aircraft while its engine isnot operating. In such an instance of interruption of electrical powerfrom the primary power source 402, the EFB device 410 is then preferablyoperative and configured to automatically switch to the auxiliary powersource 404 such that there was no interruption of electrical powersupply to the EFB device 410. As mentioned above, an interruption ofelectrical power to the EFB device 410 is disadvantageous. Process thenreturns to step 510 to determine if the state of the aircraft haschanged while both the primary and auxiliary power sources are coupledto the EFB device 410.

Thus, and in accordance with the aforesaid illustrative embodiments, theinvention provides switched power input based upon aircraft logic toavoid power loading limitations by permitting EFB connectivity tomultiple aircraft power sources during ground operations when power isavailable via a battery source only and other non-normal situations.

Optional embodiments of the present invention may also be said tobroadly consist in the parts, elements and features referred to orindicated herein, individually or collectively, in any or allcombinations of two or more of the parts, elements or features, andwherein specific integers are mentioned herein which have knownequivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such knownequivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually setforth. For instance, and with reference to FIG. 5, shown is anotherillustrative embodiment in which the EFB control system 400 is showncoupled to first and second EFB devices (410, 411) wherein operationthereof is the same as described above with reference to illustrativeembodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4. Further, it is to be understood andappreciated the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5 is not be understoodto be limited to only first and second EFB devices (410, 411) but rathermay be coupled to any plurality of EFB devices.

The above presents a description of a best mode contemplated forcarrying out the present invention EFB electrical power control system,and of the manner and process of making and using them, in such full,clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use these devices and methods. Thepresent invention wireless landing gear system is, however, susceptibleto modifications and alternative method steps from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention EFBelectrical power control system is not limited to the particularembodiments disclosed. On the contrary, the present invention EFBelectrical power control system encompasses all modifications andalternative constructions and methods coming within the spirit and scopeof the present invention.

The descriptions above and the accompanying drawings should beinterpreted in the illustrative and not the limited sense. While theinvention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodimentor embodiments thereof, it should be understood that there may be otherembodiments which fall within the scope of the invention as defined bythe following claims. Where a claim, if any, is expressed as a means orstep for performing a specified function, it is intended that such claimbe construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or actsdescribed in the specification and equivalents thereof, including bothstructural equivalents and equivalent structures, material-basedequivalents and equivalent materials, and act-based equivalents andequivalent acts.

1. A control system for providing electrical power to an electronicflight bag device on an aircraft, the control system comprising a powerswitching component coupled to a plurality of power sources and at leastone electronic flight bag device wherein the power switching componentis operative and configured to selectively apply electrical power fromat least one of the plurality of power sources based upon a condition ofthe aircraft.
 2. A control system for providing electrical power to anelectronic flight bag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 1,wherein the condition of the aircraft is in a pre-determined condition.3. A control system for providing electrical power to an electronicflight bag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 2, wherein thepower switching component is further operative and configured to coupleonly a single power source from the plurality of electrical powersources to the electronic flight bag device when the aircraft is in thepre-determined condition.
 4. A control system for providing electricalpower to an electronic flight bag device on an aircraft as recited inclaim 3, wherein the power switching component is further operative andconfigured to couple one of the first or second power sources from theplurality of electrical power sources to the electronic flight bagdevice when the aircraft is not in the pre-determined condition.
 5. Acontrol system for providing electrical power to an electronic flightbag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 4, wherein the pluralityof electrical power sources consist of a primary electrical power sourceand a secondary electrical power source.
 6. A control system forproviding electrical power to an electronic flight bag device on anaircraft as recited in claim 5, wherein the primary electrical powersource is selected from the group consisting of an electrical powergenerator, a fuel cell, battery device, and an energy harvesting device.7. A control system for providing electrical power to an electronicflight bag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 6, wherein theprimary electrical power source consists of an electrical powergenerator device located on the aircraft and a secondary electricalpower source when the aircraft is not in the pre-determined condition.8. A control system for providing electrical power to an electronicflight bag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 7, wherein thesecondary electrical power source is selected from the group consistingof an electrical power generator, a fuel cell, battery device and energyharvesting device.
 9. A control system for providing electrical power toan electronic flight bag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 1,wherein the power switching component is coupled to at least first andsecond electronic flight bag devices.
 10. A control system for providingelectrical power to an electronic flight bag device on an aircraft asrecited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electronic flight bagdevices is a portable self-contained device.
 11. An electronic flightbag control system comprising: a power switching component coupled to aplurality of power sources; and at least one electronic flight bagdevice coupled to each of the plurality of power sources via the powerswitching component wherein the power switching component is operativeand configured to selectively apply electrical power from at least oneof the power sources from the plurality of power sources to the at leastone electronic flight bag device based upon a condition of the aircraft.12. An electronic flight bag control system as recited in claim 11,wherein the condition of the aircraft is whether the aircraft is in apredetermined condition.
 13. An electronic flight bag control system asrecited in claim 12, wherein the power switching component is furtheroperative and configured to couple only a single power source from theplurality of electrical power sources to the electronic flight bagdevice when the aircraft is in a predetermined condition.
 14. Anelectronic flight bag control system as recited in claim 13, wherein thepower switching component is further operative and configured to coupleat least first or second power sources from the plurality of electricalpower sources to the electronic flight bag device when the aircraft isnot in the predetermined condition.
 15. An electronic flight bag controlsystem as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of electrical powersources consist of a primary electrical power source and a secondaryelectrical power source.
 16. A control system for providing electricalpower to an electronic flight bag device on an aircraft as recited inclaim 15, wherein the primary electrical power source is selected fromthe group consisting of an electrical power generator, a fuel cell,battery device, energy harvesting device, and an external power sourcewhen the aircraft is in the predetermined condition.
 17. An electronicflight bag control system as recited in claim 16, wherein the primaryelectrical power source consists of an electrical power generator sourceis selected from the group consisting of an electrical power generator,a fuel cell, battery device, energy harvesting device, and an externalpower source when the aircraft is not in the predetermined condition.18. An electronic flight bag control system as recited in claim 17,wherein the secondary electrical power source is selected from the groupconsisting of an electrical power generator, a fuel cell, batterydevice, energy harvesting device, and an external power source.
 19. Acontrol system for providing electrical power to an electronic flightbag device on an aircraft as recited in claim 11, wherein the powerswitching component is coupled to at least first and second electronicflight bag devices.
 20. A method for providing electrical power to anelectronic flight bag on an aircraft comprising the steps: providing apower switching component coupled to a plurality of power sources;coupling at least one electronic flight bag device to each of theplurality of power sources via the power switching component;determining if the aircraft is in a predetermined condition; applyingelectrical power via the power switching component from one of theplurality of power sources to the at least one electronic flight bagdevice when the aircraft is determined to be in the predeterminedcondition; and applying electrical power via the power switchingcomponent from at least two of the plurality of power sources to the atleast one electronic flight bag device when the aircraft is determinednot in the predetermined condition.